Interview with a manager - Ithaqua

As elusive as he is poetic, its taken a while but I've managed to catch a few words with the man, the myth, the legend that is Crimea River boss Ithaqua. I caught up with him at his clubs training ground and joined Ithaqua for a bicycle ride and then sat down for a lovely cup of tea. Here is what we discussed:
Paddy: "So Ith before we get to the football stuff, what do you do to take your mind off xpert11?"

Ithaqua: "I never take my mind off X11 :) Occasionally I do manage to free up the time to watch the odd movie or play some other computer games, Guild Wars and Uncharted at the moment, or play some Magic the Gathering."

Paddy: "Did you enjoy being a VIP member of this site? do you feel it changed you in any way?"

Ithaqua: "It was okay. Changing the strips for a few weeks was mildly diverting but nothing else really held my attention for long. Heck I didn't even give all my players comedy names this time round!"

Paddy: "Have you always had such an extensive vocabulary and a talent for poetry?"

Ithaqua: "Online Thesaurus ftw :)"

Paddy: "Care to provide us with a poem now? maybe one about our lovely day at Crimea River's training ground and this interview?

Ithaqua: "A chat with the Crimea River boss,
for words a man rarely at loss,
his insights both witty and punny,
are never terribly funny,
But, frankly, does anyone give a toss?

Can you imagine sinking so low,
while going for a cycle with Solo',
and falling off of your bike,
as your head it did strike,
On a bridge that really was so low.

After witnessing yet another defeat,
Extra training to mitigate further loss,
Yet to taste victory,
a side desperate to win,
In their next match once again soundly beaten."

Paddy: "What is your take on Pink Bus Riders manager Kilie_gers?"

Ithaqua: "Kilie was bit like marmite. While he brought a certain je ne sais quoi to the various leagues he was in he was not really to anyone's taste. However his unique take on what made an X11 league interesting did provide an entertaining diversion from the norm.
There's only so many match report or "I R AWESUM!!1!111eleven!' PR's I can read before considering stabbing my eyes out with a spoon so Kilie's efforts to stir up a bit of banter were a welcome diversion."

Paddy: "Now onto Crimea River, its been noted in some quarters that you've taken a highly controversial long term, youth player aim to build your squad, what would you say to your detractors?"

Ithaqua: "It's not so much a long term approach as an experiment
on the impact of DV to a youth side. While not entirely a subscriber to the 'the sky is falling' hysteria surrounding DV it was pretty clear that the side I took over would be pretty hamstrung in terms of accruing DV and that a squad overhaul was sorely needed."

Paddy: "has any of your youth players surpassed your expectations?"

Ithaqua: "Unfortunately the savage performance cut from the average age rule hamstrings any of the poor kids from putting in anything resembling a decent performance.
There might just be a few who, if not sold and barring a plethora of random injuries, could go on to develop into some outstanding players though."

Paddy: "Given that Marcel Desailly is the only player in your entire squad over the age of 20 are there different expectations on him compared with the rest of your squad?"

Ithaqua: "Desailly actually provided an opportunity to test a couple of theories. Primarily I wanted to see just how much a high skill player in one position influences the DV gain for younger players in the same position. I can then compare the DV with a player in a position where there was no high-skill oldie and see if there are any differences.
He's also not getting any form training him to see how often a player rubber bands back up to his base form. High form players seem to rubber band down quite frequently and I was curious if the reverse was true."

Paddy: "Where do you see your side in five seasons time?"

Ithaqua: "Firmly rooted to the bottom of division three. With almost entirely different players. And an average age of ten."

Paddy: "What were your first impressions when you took over the
club?"

Ithaqua: "First impression was that the existing side was pretty good. Immediately followed by the realisation that the existing squad was pretty old and had no real room for development. The previous seasons CR of only 6 skill bars of improvement backed that impression up."

Paddy: "Any aims for this season?"

Ithaqua: "Keep the injuries down and the DV high. Both, sadly,
outwith my control. Well, beyond playing careful aggression all the time anyway. Maybe getting my manager skill down to 0 too."

Paddy: "and finally, who do you think will win the World Cup?"

Ithaqua: "Brazil. Assuming their defenders can overcome their
wannabe-striker urges."